Anisonyx ursus

Anisonyx ursus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Scarabaeiformia
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Anisonyx
Species:
A. ursus
Binomial name
Anisonyx ursus
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Melolontha ursus Fabricius, 1775

Anisonyx ursus, the bear monkey beetle, is a species of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.[1] It is found in South Africa (Western Cape).[2][3]

Description

Adults reach a length of about 9.5–11 mm (0.37–0.43 in). They are black, with the antennae and anterior and intermediate legs testaceous red. The clypeus is clothed with very long and very dense black hairs. The pronotum is as densely clothed with black hairs as the head and the elytra are clothed with long, greyish and black hairs, which are bristly along the suture.[3]

Life history

This species is found at the beginning of spring. They may be found on heaths or any flower in bloom at the time. The larvae make no cocoons.[3]

References

  1. ^ BioLib
  2. ^ Schoolmeesters, P. (2025). "Anisonyx ursus at Catalogue of Life". World Scarabaeidae Database (version 2025-10-07). In O. Bánki, Y. Roskov, M. Döring, G. Ower, D. R. Hernández Robles, C. A. Plata Corredor, T. Stjernegaard Jeppesen, A. Örn, T. Pape, D. Hobern, S. Garnett, H. Little, R. E. DeWalt, J. Miller, T. Orrell, & R. Aalbu, Catalogue of Life (2026-01-16). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Catalogue of Life Foundation. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Péringuey, L. (1902). "Descriptive catalogue of the Coleoptera of South Africa (Lucanidae and Scarabaeidae), Sub-families: Rutelinae, Hopliinae". Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 12: 561–920. Retrieved March 2, 2026. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.